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Dudley Academies Trust Spring Newsletter 2021

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Dudley Academies Trust Spring Newsletter 2021 Dudley Academies Trust Spring Newsletter 2021 Message from the Chief Executive The spring term has, once again, presented considerable challenges to schools and I am pleased to report that all of our academies have responded superbly. Our central team has provided first class support covering a wide range of provision: the further development of distance learning, training for staff, lesson resources and all aspects of risk assessments and guidance on the adaptations required to set up lateral flow testing centres. Both learners and staff are clearly happy to return to their academies and benefit from the support of our leadership teams to settle back into the rhythm and routines of school life. I should like to thank our parents and carers for being so supportive of our re-opening plans. Our values underpin all that we do. Our Year 6 and Year 11 learners are certainly dreaming big as they are aiming to achieve the best scores and grades in their end of year assessments and examinations. Exciting times lie ahead for them all as they transition into the next phase of their educational journey. 1 - Jo Higgins, Chief Executive Finally, our Trust is all about excellent teaching and learning. Everyone has certainly demonstrated that they respect each other and their world. Our learners’ behaviour has been exemplary when I have visited our academies. Secondary learners wear their masks and have been so sensible during the later flow testing process. At Blowers Green there is always a strong sense of collective responsibility and the pupils clearly care about each other, their teachers and support staff. It is also wonderful to see our learners’ planners out on desks and the number of merits that are being awarded by teachers. Rewarding effort is such a strong feature of our culture. There are so many opportunities for our student leaders of all ages to set an example and contribute to shaping the future of their Trust. Leadership elections will be taking place next term and the Trust wide leadership team for 2021/2022 will be elected. I will look forward to sharing news on this in the next edition of The Buzz. Finally, our Trust is all about excellent teaching and learning. All of our learners are experiencing lessons where learning that inspires is clear to see from the high quality work that our learners are producing each and every day. May I wish everybody a well deserved rest at Easter! Jo Higgins, Chief Executive Dreaming big Where are our learners now? It is important that as a Trust we keep in touch with our past learners. This helps to motivate our current learners to ‘Dream big’. In this feature of the Buzz, we explore Pegasus Academy and where their learners are now. Nital Patel, Pegasus Academy “Hi, my name is Nital Patel. My journey started off in Year 7 at Pegasus Academy, when I was quite a timid person but also a student leader. By the time I was in Year 11, I was Deputy Head Girl and Student President, which allowed me build my skills and participate in a lot of events. I left school with successful grades and now I am studying at Dudley Sixth, doing A Level Psychology, Sociology and English Language. Outside of education, I also volunteer for a few things including Dudley Youth Council. When I joined I was too shy to speak; however it has helped me to develop skills and confidence and, this year, I am Chair of Dudley Youth Council and very delighted to have this role.” 2 - Nital Patel, Pegasus Academy Alumni Natasha, Pegasus Academy “My name’s Natasha and I’m currently studying French, Spanish and Economics at King Edward VI College. When I left Pegasus Academy with my GCSEs, I didn’t think I was smart enough to do a pure language degree, let alone a pure language degree at Cambridge. So, I initially settled for doing a mix of history and languages at some other universities. But my heart still lay with languages. My first successes came in being accepted to both the Cambridge and Oxford summer schools for languages, which allowed me to get a feel for which out of the two universities would suit me best. When university applications rolled around, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to apply to Cambridge. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic had affected me adversely, and part of me had given up entirely on the idea of going to university. In the end, I changed my mind and ended up appl ying a week before the internal deadline. But my hopes were low. Nevertheless, I did my best in the interviews and admissions exams in the tiny hope that perhaps Cambridge would think, “Hey, you’re not too bad actually”. 3 - Natasha, Pegasus Academy Alumni But my heart still lay with languages. When I got the email telling me I’d been offered a place at Cambridge to study French and Russian, I didn’t believe my eyes for a minute. Part of me believed they’d sent the email by mistake and had actually meant to reject me. But then I looked at the accompanying letter, and there it was in black- and-white text: Congratulations! To this day, I don’t know what my interviewers saw in me, but I am content in the knowledge that I’ll have the privilege of pursuing my highest passion at one of the world’s greatest institutions in a matter of months. In a way, it wouldn’t have happened had lockdown not forced me to acknowledge that following your dreams isn’t always idealistic nonsense. Sometimes, following your dreams can be the only way to keep weathering the storm ahead of you.” Rewarding effort CareerFit Despite the difficulties of the second lockdown, the Careers team has been constantly active, making sure that learners continue to focus on what they want to do in the future. As part of our CareerFit programme, they have been: • Sending weekly Careers newsletters to learners, staff and parents. • Organising virtual work experiences. • Supporting Year 11 learners in their choice of post-16 options, making them aware of different qualifications, how to apply and how to prepare for interviews. Every Year 11 learner has had a one-to-one careers meeting and follow-up support where necessary. • Explaining GCSEs and GCSE choices to Year 9 learners, helping them to make informed choices about the right options for them. • Showing Year 10 learners that going to university is not just about studying for a higher qualification but also an opportunity to broaden their social horizons. • Organising an online Higher Education and Motivation session with Aspire to HE and employability talks art each secondary academy. In addition, the Trust has purchased Unifrog for the use of all learners. Unifrog is a one -stop-shop where learners can easily explore their interests and the subjects they may want to study, then find and successfully apply for college and sixth form choices. Design a T-Shirt Congratulations to Ethan T, Year 8 at Beacon Hill Academy for his "Physiotherapist: Muscle Whisperer!" design which was the winner of January’s Form Tutor Competition. The competition required learners to design a T-Shirt related to their dream career! 4 - "Physiotherapist: Muscle Whisperer!" design by Ethan T, Beacon Hill Academy. And the winner of Bake Off is… Normally, we wouldn’t put a picture of a giant chocolate cake into our newsletter, but we thought you might like to see what happened when Year 11 and Year 7 at St James Academy held a Bake Off competition! 5 - Well done to all St James learners involved in the Bake Off... Trust rewards At Dudley Academies Trust we truly believe in 'Rewarding effort'. As our Values Driven Expectations behaviour model has become so well established, so have the rewards! Each of our five academies ensure they reward the effort of learners at every opportunity. There are so many rewards that take place that we couldn't choose what rewards should feature in the Newsletter! We recommend checking the social media platforms for each academy where you will gain a true insight into 'Rewarding effort'. Leading together Setting a great example On March 12th, Beacon Hill Academy featured on BBC Newsnight for the third time in 6 months. Maddison G, a Year 9 learner, spoke passionately and complimentarily about her experiencing of returning to Beacon Hill Academy since the lockdown. Maddison said that she was pleased to be back in lessons with her teachers and friends, something that she greatly missed over the lock down period. She also praised her teachers for providing a blended approach to teaching and learning during a staggered return, which has seen all learners mass tested 3 times. 6 - Madison, Year 9 learner from Beacon Hill Academy Our learners made homeworking work Across the Trust, our learners have been displaying their very best qualities since lockdown returned in January, showing a huge amount of resilience in adapting to change in order to continue engaging with their learning. A massive ‘Well done!’ to everyone who kept working hard during a difficult period, to the parents and carers who supported the learners and to the staff who worked so hard to make it possible. ‘Thank you’, also, to the many different speakers who contributed to our virtual assemblies, including Mr Neil Thomas, Chief Executive and Principal of Dudley College of Technology, Mr Martin Dudley, chairman of Thomas Dudley Ltd and Mr David Hassall, Head of Data and Performance for Dudley Academies Trust.
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